About EleMental Learning

About Us

EleMental Learning, LLC was founded by Lori J. Skurka, M. Ed. for the purpose of providing fully customized, one-on-one professional tutoring. Since our local beginnings in Illinois in 2005, we have grown to provide carefully selected high quality tutors to families throughout the United States.

Lori J. Skurka, M. Ed.

Founder and CEO, EleMental Learning LLC

Lori holds a Masters Degree in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from The University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign. She also holds a Type 03 teaching certificate and a Type 75 certificate in Administration and Supervision in the State of Illinois. She has honed her expertise with additional coursework beyond the Master’s level in the field of Cognitive Development and Brain Research.

Prior to founding EleMental Learning, Lori spent 11 years as a classroom teacher in grades 2 through 6. She is a mom to three wonderful children, and is very active in their own academic development.

Tutoring Rates

Each tutor sets his/her own hourly rate when they sign on with EleMental Learning. The rate depends on what is competitive for high quality tutors in the local market, which is typically $40-60/hr throughout most of the country. Rates in the Northeast (especially in/around New York City and Boston) tend to be higher.

When you browse the tutors available on our website, your search results will show each tutor's hourly rate. Keep in mind that tutors do not charge for their transportation and preparation time.

For an even more economical option, consider forming a small group of 2-4 students to work with one of our tutors at a discounted price per student. To learn more about this option, please visit our group tutoring rates page.

Don't forget, with EleMental Learning you will never be pressured to commit to a certain amount of tutoring. Tutoring is provided on a pay-as-you-go basis, so your tutoring expenditure can be adjusted to fit your specific needs!

What To Expect

The core belief of our in home tutors is that no two students have the same academic needs and learning patterns. Instead, our tutors work with the student, parents, and teachers (if desired) to assess the student’s tutoring needs and create a customized plan of action.

Our open-architecture process enables your tutor to:

Design an action plan and set of goals which are exactly what the student needs.

Apply different tutoring methods as situations and personalities warrant.

Make on the fly adjustments to the action plan without being constrained by a mass marketed curriculum as is often the case at other in home tutoring services.

Your tutor will maintain an ongoing dialogue with you. At the end of each session, the student, the tutor, and the parent/guardian should debrief, address any open questions, and explicitly map out the next steps in the action plan.